LEBANON IN SHOCK AFTER KILLING OF CHRISTIAN POLITICIAN
Ekklesia, UK
Nov 22 2006
The normally jammed-packed streets of Beirut during rush hour were
even more frantic as residents scrambled following the news that
Christian politician Pierre Gemayel had been gunned down and killed
in the streets of a Beirut suburb on Tuesday 21 November 2006 –
reports Ecumenical News International.
Horns blared, sirens screeched and a thick air of apprehension took
hold as people struggled with the news. For a while, mobile phones
were inoperable as hordes of people tried to dial out at once.
Other commentators confirm 34-year-old’s cabinet minister’s killing
was especially jarring for some in the diverse Christian community
here, with fears that the assassination may lead to more violence.
Beirut is one of the most religiously diverse cities in the Middle
East, with Muslims (Sunni and Shi’ite), Christians (Maronite Catholics,
Greek Orthodox, Greek Catholics, Armenian Orthodox, Armenian Catholics,
Roman Catholics, Syriacs, Copts and Protestants) and Druze all having
a significant presence.
But tensions are now running high, criss-crossing ethnic, political
and religious demarcations.
The murder of Mr Gemayel comes as a deep political crisis grips the
country following the resignation of six Shi’ite Hezbollah cabinet
members.
Syria itself, which some have immediately accused of involvement,
came out quickly to denounce the assassination, describing it as a
"despicable crime".
UK Prime Minister Tony Blair joined many other world and civic
leaders in strongly deploring the murder of one of Lebanon’s leading
politicians. "We condemn this murder utterly. It is completely without
any justification at all," he declared.
Matthias Gebauer of the German paper Der Speigel, writing from Beirut,
observed poignantly: "It doesn’t take long to become a martyr in
Lebanon. It is Wednesday morning, ten o’clock. Minister of Industry
Pierre Gemayel hasn’t been dead for 24 hours, but his larger-than-life
picture is already displayed at every street corner in Beirut and
its suburbs."
"In the picture, the politician – just 34 when he died – is smiling.
It is a product of Lebanon’s ubiquitous cynicism that such an
appearance is usually only accorded to the dead. And Gemayel is only
the most recent Lebanese politician to be murdered in the last couple
of years."
The assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri in
2005 also shook the whole country. The last Syrian troops withdrew
from Beirut in April 2006, but its influence is still powerful. Over
the summer the country was racked by Israeli attacks following a
dispute with Hezabollah and has had little time to recover before
the latest blow.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
